When Healing Doesn’t Come: Sickness and God’s Will

Written by: ARMAND VAN TONDER

Is it ever God’s will for a believer (or anyone, for that matter) to be sick?

A lot of modern teaching says “no.” Some claim that because Jesus healed everyone who came to Him during His earthly ministry, it must mean that God always wants to heal—no exceptions. But is that truly what Scripture teaches when taken as a whole?

Let’s explore.

The Claim: “God Never Wills Sickness”

A local pastor recently preached that believing God ordains sickness is like saying a mother would throw a black mamba into her baby’s room—just in case the child disobeys. In his view, that’s how absurd the idea is that God would ever want sickness in a believer’s life.

He argued that because Jesus healed everyone who came to Him, and never once said, “It’s not God’s will to heal you,” we should never believe sickness could be God’s will—especially not for believers. He claimed that since Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing, and Jesus always healed, then God’s will always includes healing—without exception.

But that position doesn’t hold up when measured against the whole counsel of Scripture.

God’s Sovereignty—Even Over Sickness

First, let’s acknowledge: We won’t always understand God’s purposes. Isaiah 55:8–9 reminds us that His ways are higher than ours:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8–9 ESV)

But what we can be sure of is that God works all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose:

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…” (Romans 8:28–30 ESV)

Sometimes, that “good” includes affliction. And while Scripture shows that nothing happens outside of God’s will, we should distinguish between what God directly wills and what He permits for a greater purpose.

Suffering as Discipline—But Not Always

Hebrews 12 teaches that God disciplines those He loves. It may be painful, but it’s purposeful:

“It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons… He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.” (Hebrews 12:7,10 ESV)

The psalmist echoes this:

“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word… It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes… In faithfulness you have afflicted me.” (Psalm 119:67,71,75 ESV)

But not all sickness is discipline. Some afflictions come from living in a broken world (Romans 8:20–23), spiritual warfare (Job 1–2; Luke 13:10–16), or simply for God’s glory.

God Uses Sickness for His Glory

Consider King Uzziah, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod, or the man born blind in John 9. These weren’t random sufferings—God had a reason for each.

King Uzziah was a successful and innovative ruler in Judah, but when pride overtook him, he entered the temple to burn incense—something only priests were allowed to do. In response, God struck him with leprosy. He remained a leper until the day he died, living in isolation. His affliction served as a divine judgment and a warning against arrogance before God (2 Chronicles 26).

Nebuchadnezzar, the mighty king of Babylon, was humbled by God when he boasted about his power. God struck him with a period of madness—he lived like an animal until he acknowledged God’s sovereign rule. Only then was his reason restored. His suffering wasn’t meaningless; it revealed God’s power and authority over even the greatest of human kings (Daniel 4).

Herod Agrippa I, in Acts 12, gave a speech and received the crowd’s praise as if he were a god. Because he didn’t give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. It was a sudden and terrifying judgment—a divine rebuke for robbing God of His glory.

And then there’s the man born blind in John 9. Jesus’ disciples assumed his condition must be punishment for sin, either his own or his parents’. But Jesus corrected them:

“It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3 ESV)

That man’s lifelong blindness was not meaningless—it was ordained so that Jesus could reveal the power and glory of God through healing him.

Did Jesus Heal Everyone?

No. John 5 records a multitude of sick people at the pool of Bethesda. Jesus healed one and withdrew.

“Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.” (John 5:13 ESV)

Jesus only did what the Father willed (John 5:19). If healing everyone had been the Father’s will, He would have.

The Apostles and the Reality of Sickness

Even the apostles and early church leaders—those closest to Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit—did not experience automatic or guaranteed healing.

• Paul left Trophimus sick in Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20). If healing were always God’s will, surely Paul, who had performed miracles, would have healed him. But he didn’t—because sometimes healing isn’t part of God’s immediate plan.
• Timothy, Paul’s trusted companion, struggled with frequent stomach problems and other ailments. Paul didn’t rebuke him for lack of faith or command healing—instead, he advised him to take a little wine for his condition (1 Timothy 5:23). That’s a deeply practical and pastoral response, not a triumphalistic one.
• Paul himself was afflicted with a “thorn in the flesh,” which he pleaded with the Lord to remove. God’s answer?

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV)

Rather than remove the suffering, God used it to teach Paul dependence and humility.

These examples reveal a pattern: God may choose not to heal—not out of indifference, but to accomplish something deeper in the lives of His people.

What About Isaiah 53?

Some claim, “By His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5) means guaranteed physical healing. This verse is often quoted in Word of Faith and prosperity circles as a definitive promise of bodily health for every believer. But that interpretation pulls the line out of its context.

Isaiah 53 is a prophetic passage about the suffering servant—Jesus—who bore the punishment for sin. The healing it speaks of is primarily spiritual, addressing our reconciliation to God and the forgiveness of sins:

“He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5 ESV)

Peter affirms this in 1 Peter 2:24:

“He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.”

The healing in view is the healing of our souls—from sin, not sickness. While God certainly can heal physically, Isaiah 53 isn’t a carte blanche promise that believers will never face illness in this life.

God can and does heal physically, but Isaiah 53 isn’t a promise that believers will never get sick.

Should We Still Pray for Healing?

Absolutely. James 5 urges us to pray, anoint, and seek the elders when we are sick. God still heals. But our hope isn’t in guaranteed healing—it’s in God’s will being done.

Where This Kind of Teaching Falls Short

The pastor I referenced earlier said to understand the will of the Father, we must look at Jesus. That’s true—but only if we look at all of Jesus.

Jesus is the healer of the Gospels, yes. But He’s also the Judge of Revelation, the Sovereign King, the Lamb who opens the seals, and the One whose robe is dipped in blood.

We should be careful not to selectively define Jesus. Let’s look at all of Him—and at all of Scripture.

Final Thoughts

God is sovereign. Sometimes He heals. Sometimes He afflicts. Sometimes He disciplines. Sometimes He refines. And sometimes He permits suffering for reasons we may never fully see in this life.

So—is it ever God’s will for a believer to be sick?

Yes. Sometimes. And when it is, it is not wasted.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” (2 Timothy 3:16 ESV)

Test everything. Stand on the Word. And trust the God who rules over all—even our suffering.

Grace and peace.
— Armand van Tonder

Armand van Tonder is the creator of Seeker’s Creed, a channel within Geek & Seek focused on biblical truth, sound doctrine, and exposing false teaching. His heart is to help others grow in discernment and stand firm on Scripture in a world full of spiritual confusion.